[illeracula]

The Ocean City Tourists have always been that team that just misses, as they have finished 2nd 4 times. They have just had the bad luck of being in the same division as the Admirals. In 2015 the Tourists won the division, their only playoff birth, and haven't been able to get back again. The Tourists have a career winning percentage of .539 and have one 90 or more games 2 times.

The Tourists have the 9th biggest budget ($148,000,000), and the 9th highest payroll ($131,310,000), so they aren't afraid to spend money to get better. They are under the control of 2nd year manager Brody Grant. Grant come to Ocean City in 2017 as the Bench Coach, after spending 4 years managing the single-A squad of the Milton Brewers, the Boise Wranglers. He won the single-A title in 2014. Last season Brody lead the Tourists to a 2nd place finish and 84 wins. This year they look to increase on that and knock Annapolis out of the top slot. They have the offense, the big question is do they have the pitching?

Their Minor League System is rated 18th out 20. They just don't have much help coming up the chain with their top prospect ranked #63 on the top 100 list. And James McIntosh (20), 2.5*, .222-3-13 (A), isn't a whole lto to write home about. The time for the Tourists is now, with a thin minor league system and a nice young core of players.

Their top hitter is Francisco Reyes, 29, who is singed thru 2022. He is a pure power hitter, he has hit over 45 HR's 4 times in 7 years. He is your typical #3 or 4 hitter, who drives the ball and knocks in a lot of runs. He is a lifetime .296-272-779 hitter. Currently he is the starting LF, but at one point in his career he was a gold glove 1B. He is the rare guy who has spent his whole career with just one team, he was drafted in the 26th round of the inaugural draft.

Another guy on their offense who is making a lot of noise is rookie catcher Ray Key. He is 25 years old and putting up solid numbers, .331-10-27, which lead to the rookie of the month award last month. Key and Reyes form a solid foundation for a line that will put up a lot of runs for years to come.

James McLaughlin signed last season to be the ace of the Tourists staff. He spend the previous 5 years with the Newark Millers, posting a 92-48 3.11 career record. He won 20 games in 2015 and consistently puts up 10-15 wins a season. He first year in Ocean City he put a solid 17-11 4.01 record, and this year he has set his sights on 20 wins. James is a true team leader and someone the younger kids on the staff can look up to as a mentor.

The idea was the McLaughlin and Steve McClellan would make a formidable 1-2 punch, but went down early last season (2018) with shoulder inflammation and just couldn't regain his stamina. In 2017 Steve went 16-10 4.27 and has 54 career wins. With the injury Steve has taken over the closer role and has locked down 7 out of 8 saves so far this season with a 2.93 ERA. He has adjusted well to the role. Its not where the Tourists would of liked him, and is in a contract year it will be interesting to see what happens to him at the end of the year.

The Tourists have a win-now attitude and would love to knock Annapolis from the top slot. Its going to be a tough task, but there is a lot of hope in Ocean City and the fans back this team. With a thin minor-league system the clock for this team to win is running short. The time is now and they know it.